Etesia UK have announced the appointment of Jonathon (Jon) Welling as Southern Area Sales Manager for its range of Etesia & Pellenc products covering the South East and the South West areas with immediate effect.

Jon joins Etesia UK with over 20 years experience in the grasscare and amenity sector and has an enviable and extensive knowledge having previously worked at Sisis Equipment (Macclesfield) Ltd and more recently Vitax.

Favoured by many of the UK's top councils as well as landscapers and groundsmen, including National Trust gardens, both Etesia and Pellenc has gained a reputation for producing equipment that are highly reliable with low maintenance, making them the number one choice for many users.

Wyevale East Nurseries, in association with Royal Horticultural Society are launching the Student Design and Build Award 2012 at the RHS Plant & Design Show February 14th and 15th. The Student Design & Build Award is an opportunity to design and build a garden in the small garden category at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2013.

Now in its third year the Student Design & Build Award has been a resounding success so far with a Silver Gilt Medal in the first year for Charlotte Murrell and ‘Wild in the City’. The successful design for Student Design and Build Award 2011, ‘Coastal Drift’ designed by Susan Willmott and Adele Ford is currently awaiting a decision by the RHS application panel for Hampton Court 2012.

Wyevale East Nurseries fund the winner’s materials to a value of £5000.00 and supply the plants for the garden. Full details of the Student Design & Build Award and application forms are available st www.gardendesignaward.co.uk (live as from February 1st).

Stonemarket have been working hard throughout the year, building our new range offer for 2012. We believe that this is one of our best years for new products and that Stonemarket’s brand proposition of cutting-edge design and innovation has been successfully upheld and reinforced.

Stonemarket is pleased to announce its collaboration with stone flooring specialist and fellow group brand, Classical Flagstones; creating opportunities for seamless transitions to be achieved from the external to the internal. This includes an exquisite offer of natural stone, the all new Isis marble in two colours. A creamy Travertine and two colours of slate are further additions; complement Stonemarket’s Travertine and Truslate ranges respectively.

Wyevale East Nurseries in Swanley, Kent, have taken delivery of their second S1 sit-on 2 wheel drive electric vehicle from Electric Powered Solutions.

Nursery Director, Richard McKenna, first saw the vehicle at the Four Oaks trade show in 2010 and immediately recognised its potential for moving stock around their 10 acre site. They had a demonstrator on trial for a week and the decision was made to buy one.

The opening day of the Creating Landscapes Trade Show gave exhibitors and visitors a chance to talk, swap ideas and learn more on where the industry is going.

Capel Manor college provided the backdrop for the show with a diverse range of stands including plant suppliers and nurseries, tools and equipment, software providers and services to help with those back office tasks.

The first exhibitors arrived at Capel Manor for the Creating Landscapes Trade Show early in the morning.

Plants were being unloaded, gardens measured out and vans rolled through heavy with equipment and tools from all the exhibitors.

If you want to get a taste of what is happening today at the show then check out the photographs uploaded to the Landscape Juice Network, as well as audio interviews with some of the exhibitors and the updates on Twitter.

The organisation is running smoothly, like the wheels of a large fairground moving into action after months of preparation.

The belief in this event is almost tangible, as the flags are unrolled for the first time.

There is no 2011 date on them, so they can no doubt be used in the future.

You can find out more about the Hybrid decking board from Duraflex after they signed up for the show.

Drop in on stand 505 to learn more on how the decking is manufactured from both PVC and wood, which was developed as a result of three years research and development at Duraflex's in-house testing facility.

The decking enjoys the low maintenance and durability of PVC alongside the appearance and strength of wood.

Hybrid decking is available in a range of natural colours, so you can give your creative thoughts free rein, combined with an option for either an attractive ribbed or brushed finish.